Swivel attachment-plug



0. KESSLER.

SWIVEL ATTACHMENT PLUG.

APPLlc/Tlon man 11m26.191s.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Suva/woz @2K/? a@ M47 zww atto/1M m UNE@ STATENT @FFQEO OTTO KESSLER, 0F PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

SWIVEL ATTACHMENT-PLUG.

Leashes.

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO KEssLER, a citi- -zen of the United States, residing at Pasunscrewing or removing the plug from the socket in which it has been fitted. The invention is an improvement upon the construction shown by Patent No. 1,231,379 which was granted June 26, 1917, since in this patent there is no provision for detaching the electric wires and breaking the connection without unscrewing the plug from the socket.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which provides for quickly detaching or attaching the wires to the plug device as well as for maintaining a swivel connection between the wires and the plug, and which provides for housing all of the conducting members so that the device can be handled with safety.

With these 'and other objects in view7 the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a swivel at- Specification of Letters Patent. Patntd De@ 16, 11919,

Application lcd December 26, 1918.

Serial No. 268,222.

line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the directionof the arrows,

Figll is a detail View of the swivel contact ring which is carried by the plug.

lig. 5 is a detail view of the coperating split ring which is carried by the swivel block.

Corresponding' and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, trate one embodiment of the invention, the numeral 1 designates the body of'theplug which is formed of some suitable insulating material, the outer end of the plug being flanged at 2 so that it can be conveniently grasped by the fingers when screwing the plug in position or removing it therefrom, while the inner end of the plug is formed with an axially projecting enlargement 3. The usual metallic shell 4 is fitted upon the exterior of the plug 1, said shell constituting one of the contact members of the plug and being threaded so that it can be screwed into any conventional socket. The inner end of the shell 4 is extended over the end of the plug and shown as fastened thereto by a screw 5, said screw also engaging the laterally bent extremity of a tang 6 which extends rearwardly through the plug and is integral with a swivel contact ring 7. This ring 7 fits against the outer end of the plug, being concentric with the axis of the plug and being preferably formed with a series of knobs or protuberances 7aL projecting therefrom.

A swivel block 8 which is also formed of l insulating material is mounted upon the outer end of the plug, being connected thereto by a spindle 9 which extends axially through the plug and the swivel block. This spindle constitutes a conducting member as well as a pivot member, theJ head 10 thereof engaging or constituting the center contact of the plug, while the opposite end of the spindle, which has a retaining nut 11 threaded thereon, engages a resilient contact finger 12 which projects into one of a pair of recesses 13 in the swivel block. These recesses 13 are arranged longitudinally within lthe swivel ,block and open through the end thereof, being adapted to receive and engage the arms 14 of a detachaan] able cap piece 15 to which the electric wires 16 are connected.

Arranged within the other recess 13 is a second spring finger 17 which is provided at its inner end with a resilient split contact ring 18. This ring surrounds a boss 19 which projects from the inner end of the swivel block and has the end thereof loosely received within a recess 2O in the plug 1. A washer 2l surrounds this boss and is interposed between the resilient contact ring 18 of the swivel block and the contact ring 7 of the plug. The resilient action of the split ring holds the members in engagement with each other at all times, thereby maintaining an electrical connection between the threaded shell l of the plug and the spring finger 17 of the swivel block. The base of the swivel block 8 is also provided with a rearwardly extending peripheral flange 21 which is loosely seated within a corresponding groove in the end of the plug, thereby assisting in holding the members properly centered and also housing the swivel contact rings and washers, without interfering in any manner with the free swivel action of the block upon the plug.

The detachable cap piece 15 is recessed at 22 to receive the base portions of the arms 111, said arms being rigidly secured in position by screws 23, and having the eX tremities of the electric wires 16 connected thereto, said wires extending through an opening 24: which leads from the recess 22 through the end of the ca The arms 14C are adapted to be forcibly inserted into the recesses 13 of the swivel block 8 or removed therefrom. vWhen the arms are forced into these recesses they are brought into a tight frictional engagement with the before men- 'tioned spring fingers 12 and 17, with the result that the electric wires 16 are brought into electrical connection with the contacts of the plug, and maintained in such connection regardless of any rotary or swivel movement of the block 8 upon the spindle 9. However, it will be obvious that the cap piece 15 can be forcibly removed from the swivel block, thereby disconnecting the wires without the necessity of unscrewing the plug 1 from the socket. The'invention thus provides not only for a swivel connec tion with the plug, but also for obtaining a quickly detachable connection between the wires and the plug so that the wires can be disconnected without the necessity of unscrewing the plug.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Fatent, is

1. The combination with a threaded plug member including its contacts, a block swiveled thereon, a pair of contact elements mounted upon the swivel block and at all tunes 1n electrical connection with the conneat-tosc tacts of the plug, a quickly detachable cap provided with wire receiving means, and conducting arms projecting from the cap and adapted to be forced into engagement with the swivel block and contact elements thereon.

2. The combination with a threaded plug member including its contacts, a block swiveled thereto and formed with recesses, contact elements arranged within the recesses and at all times in electrical connection with the contacts of the plug, a quickly detachable cap provided with wire receiving means, and conducting arms projecting from the cap and adapted to be inserted into the recesses of the swivel block, whereupon they engage the contact elements thereon and retain the cap in position.

3. The combination with a threaded plug member including its contacts, a block swiveled thereto and provided with recesses, re silient contact fingers mounted within the recesses of the swivel block and at all times in electrical connection with the contacts of the plug, a detachable cap provided with wire receiving means, and conducting arms projecting from the cap and adapted to be forcibly inserted into or withdrawn from the recesses of the swivel block, said arms being frictionally engaged by the spring fingers when in position within the recesses so as to hold the cap in position and establish electrical connection between the arms and the contacts of the plug member.

L1. The combination with a plug member formed with a threaded contact shell7 a swivel block, a spindle extending axially through the plug and swivel block and also serving as a conducting member from the center contact of the plug, a pair of contact elements mounted upon the swivel member, one of which is engaged and held in position by the spindle, means for maintaining electrical connection between the other contact element and the threaded shell of the plug, a) quickly detachable cap provided with wire receiving means, and conductino' arms projecting from the cap and adapted to be forcibly inserted into engagement with the conducting elements of the swivel block, thereby retaining the cap in position and establishing an electrical connection between the arms and the contacts of the plug member.

5. The combination with a plug member provided with a threaded shell and a center contact, a swivel block fitted against the end of the plug and formed with a pair of longitudinal recesses, a spindle extending axially through the plug and swivel block and serving both as a pivot member and as a conductor leading from the center contact of the plug, contact elements iitted within the longitudinal recesses of the swivel block,

one of the contact elements being engaged by the spindle, means for maintaining an adapted to be forcibly inserted into the reelectrical connection between the other concesses of the swivel b1ock,.whereupon they tact element and the threaded shell of the serve to hold the cap in position and also 10 plug, a detachable cap adapted to be tted engage the contact elements within the re- 5 against the end of the swivel block and processes.

vided with Wire receiving means, and con` ducting arms projecting from the cap and OTTO KESSLER. 

